John Almany David Crigger was surprised to find that his electric bill jumped to $350, so he decided to get even with his utility company:
That many pennies weighs about 170 pounds, so the two men worked to carry the duffle bags into BVU's Lee Highway office.
"We pulled into BVU about 2 (p.m.) and took the bags of unrolled pennies to the pay counter," Almany said. "To make my case better, I noticed a man just paid cash right before me. I laid my bill on the counter and told the lady, 'Here is my bill and I'm here to pay every penny of it.'"
After about 20 seconds of silence, Almany then explained what that meant.
"She seemed shocked and told me, 'We can't take that.' She said we'd have to wrap that up and repeated they couldn't accept it. I asked her if she was refusing my payment and she said she wasn't," Almany said. "They said they didn't have the manpower to count all those pennies and I said as much as BVU is billing its customers, they ought to have all the manpower they need."
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/03/virginia-man-pays-his-350-electric-bill-pennies - via Rue the Day (Photo: David Crigger / Bristol Herald Courier)
Previously on Neatorama: Don't Mess with New Jersey: Paying with Pennies Got Man Into Trouble
The worst part about stunts like this is that some front desk community college graduate with three kids, a mortgage and a laid off husband (not to mention an equally unfair utility bill) will end up sorting it all out if they do in fact accept you pennies, NOT the "Powers That Be". So basically, you're just torturing a minimum wager to make your point.
Sorry man, d*ck move, no matter how you look at it.
Why does he use so much electricity anyway. $350.00 would pay my bill for about 10 months. What does he have, 4 T.V.s running all day long?
I have no gas. It's all electric. (wood heat) and my bills still average about $40.00 a month. (more in the winter because of the short days, and the blower on my furnace) How can someone use that much juice?
Screw THAT idea.
The penny thing is really a jerk move, and honestly had the bursar office not found it hilarious, then I would have said the same of his stunt.
I'll try to find his post about online and add it to the queue.
The amount of one's electrical bill (based on same usage) will vary from state to state, and even from city to city. For example, my mother and I use approximately the same amount of electricity per month in our homes. She lives in a small town in north Texas and pays about $50 a month. I live in DFW and pay $150 a month. I have gas heat, water heater, range/oven.
He was forced to pay his back rent, and he did so with pennies - the judge said that that was a no-no.
So he paid with a watermelon-check - the judge ok'd that one...
Good for you, Mr. Almany!
Thank you guys!
You probably also short a server their tip because the chef overcooked your chicken don't you? There are several other variables to the selfish situation you suggested. You don't like it when people are rude to you for unnecessary reasons. I dont understand how people can be so cold and single minded
This is just my experience. I generally treat any service workers the same way they treat me.
Or perhaps they just dumped them all in a coin counting machine...